Loki saw pictures of a family and a little girl. It was the same thing he had seen when they had met in the gardens not so long ago. But this time it was clearer and it lingered. He watched how the little girl was beaten up and abused in the most devious ways. He saw her getting older, looking more and more like the Ivy he knew now. He watched her being given away at a young age to a much older man who mistreated her and did unspeakable things to her. But he also taught her a peculiar kind of magic. Loki watched her magic develop into something strong and dark, it made him shudder. The things they made her do, despicable things, using her and her magic for the most horrific things. No one taught her how to handle the power she withheld. Then one day he saw her run away, still a teen probably, but she had suffered more already than anyone should throughout their whole life. He saw her become older, more independant and wiser in her decisions. She tried to make a living by working hard, but eventually the darkness within her would always reach the upper hand, leading her to destroy everything and everyone around her. Soon, she was feared all over the lands. No one would allow her to come near and thus she started to learn to use her magic not to destroy, but also to use it as a tool. She fought her way through life, until suddenly, there was a sharp cut. The pictures started back up when she was in the city of Asgard, trying to lead a normal life, enjoying every moment until the darkness surfaced again and she was alone once more. That's how it always was, and that's how it always would be. The last picture Loki saw was one of himself, dancing with Ivy. At that last picture he felt the crushing weight, the pain, the misery from before flood away and turn into something very close to happiness. Then everything went black and he opened his eyes.

He was at a loss for words, just like Ivy had been.

"You're not alone." She finally said with a small smile. "I'm just as fucked up as you are."

Loki let out a laugh, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, seems like it."

Then Ivy laughed too. They laughed loud and harsh because there was nothing else they could do. Loki let himself drop to the ground, laughing like mad and Ivy followed his example soon after. After a few minutes when they had calmed down, they lay next to each other panting once again.

"Seems like we always end up on the floor…" Ivy snorted, turning her head towards Loki who lay so close to her that their shoulders touched. "Maybe that's just where we belong."

"Nonsense. We belong wherever we want to belong. We can choose our home to be wherever or whoever we want it to be." He also turned to look at her, with a curious expression on his face.

"I think I might just have chosen mine…" Ivy said quietly and hoped he would not get all weird again. But he only smiled at her so beautifully she felt like melting away into the night right there.

"I'll be yours if you are mine." He said lowly and it was the sweetest thing Ivy had ever heard. She smiled at him, then turned her head back up to face the stars. Maybe she would let herself love one more time. Maybe, she would allow herself to love Loki.

"Loki?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think there's wine left?" She grinned at him and sat up.

He rolled his eyes and they went back to sit back on the blankets. Ivy took a sip from the bottle she had started, smiling. Then, she looked at Loki with a light frown.

"What is it?" He asked once he noticed her eyes on him.

"Can I ask you something about your family?" She surprised him with the question, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. He had no reason to actually hide something from her. She had seen his life and felt his pain, condensed into a few minutes.

"Yeah…" He finally said, leaning his arms on his knees. "I have never talked to anyone about them. At least not honestly." He chuckled lightly.

"So… What's up with you and Thor?"

Loki rolled his eyes. Of course she would ask about his brother… "You saw everything that happened between him and me." He answered rather stiffly.

"Yes and yet I saw that you care for him. Very much so indeed." She placed a hand on his arm and he took the chance to take her hand in his, squeezing it gently before interwinding their fingers. The sensation made Ivy's skin tingle pleasurably; she adored his touch very much and appreciated every moment they could enjoy like this.

"I don't care for a lot of people, Ivy, and I like even less. Sometimes one has no say in who we care about and who not."

"But you care about me."

"Obviously."

"And you care about yourself."

"Nah, I wouldn't say that. I have a strong interest in guiding things into paths that bears the best outcome for myself. For us... But there have been plenty times I didn't care whether I die or what would become of me."

"I know..." She said sadly, "I have been there as well."

"I know…" He caressed her hand with his thumb.

"But just tell me this… Do you trust Thor?" She asked.

"Why would you ask that?" He frowned.

"Because I'm starving and I need someone in the palace to set the table for me." She winked at him.

Loki smiled. "Yeah a meal would be nice…" Then he thought for a while. "I don't trust anyone besides myself. Sometimes not even that. But I think I do trust Thor, in my own kind of way. He is very keen on obeying Odin's wishes. I'm very keen on doing the opposite of what he wishes."

That made Ivy chuckle. "You did trust me though. I could see every secret, every thought and every feeling of yours."

"Yeah and it was by far the scariest thing I have done in a long time. But it made you feel better. That made it worth it."

"Alright…" Ivy said slightly flustered at how far he would go to make her feel better, before she emptied the wine bottle. "On to the next one!"

"Oh no, you've had enough, I want some as well!" Loki protested with a laugh and opened the second bottle, taking a large sip from it. "Geez, that stuff is so sweet!" He squeezed his eyes shut and stuck his tongue out. Then, he quickly took another gulp and shook his head in disgust.

"C'mon it's not even sweet wine! Stop acting as if it was disgust!" She pushed him lightly in the shoulder.

"What?! It's horribly sweet and I'm not even exaggerating." He frowned at her.

Ivy took the bottle from him and smelled it. "Wow, it does smell sweet! But I'm sure I picked two bottles of the same kind…"

Then she watched Loki's eyes widen for a second, before he closed them in pure annoyance or maybe anger, Ivy couldn't really tell.

"Don't drink it." Loki said sternly. "Put that down, now."

"What?" Ivy laughed, incredulous at his sudden change of mood. But yet she closed the bottle anyway and set it down.

"Now listen carefully, this is very important." He said, grabbing her shoulders and looking deeply into her eyes. "I will most likely pass out in very few moments. There was something in the wine… It's called Atropa belladonna. It can kill mortals in a small dose, it's a Midgardian plant. But I highly assume that a higher dose will kill me just the same. Anyway, you will need to use magic and heal me. Or get rid of my body. Depends on your timing." His voice was too high pitched, he sounded breathless and his face was starting to get really red.

Ivy only stared at him in confusion and shock. "If that's some kind of joke I will kill you myself…" She said warily.

Loki rolled his eyes and his fingers dug even deeper into her shoulders. "Ivy, please. You can also let me die if you want, but I would highly prefer you do something to prevent it. It's in your hands now."

"But I can't!" Her voice was now high pitched as well, desperate and her eyes started to water involuntarily. "I… My magic can only kill and destroy! I couldn't possibly save you."

Loki managed to smile sadly, before his face gained a bluish tint and he coughed, laying down on the blanket beneath him.

"Why the heck do you even know so much about poisonous Midgardian plants?" Ivy asked in her confused state, not knowing what else to say.

"I read a lot." He tried to wink at her, but his body didn't obey him any longer and he let out a small pained noise. His body began to shake and his muscles twitched, before finally he fell silent and his eyes closed.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god… Ivy didn't know what to do. In all honesty, she was very good in hurting people, but healing them wasn't something she ever had to do to others than herself. Fuck.

First thing, she checked his pulse. His heart was beating way too fast, but at least it was still beating at all. His body was losing heat rapidly, which seemed rather ironic due to the fact that he was indeed a creature of the cold. But she covered his body with the blanket she had been sitting on anyway. But now? She tried a normal healing process on him, her hands on his chest, but it showed no effect at all. Slowly she started to panic. Why hadn't he just healed himself when he still was able to and spared her the agony of watching him die because she was unable to do anything about it.

Damn him. Damn wine.

Ivy promised herself in that moment to find whoever was running around the city, merrily poisoning people, and to end them in the most gruesome ways imaginable. She looked down at Loki. He seemed like he was sleeping, his face now peaceful, but still a little blue.

No, se couldn't just sit around while he died.

He said he reads a lot… Ivy remembered the incredible amount of book he stored in his room. Maybe one of them would give her a clue about how to save Loki, but she couldn't possibly go through them all and still be back with him in time. She needed help and she quite possibly knew how to get it.